Demons take unique path in bid to find spark after finals miss

MISSING out on finals for the first time since 2019 may have been burning in the back of Melbourne’s minds over summer, but the players banished a few demons with a day at Fire Rescue Victoria’s training academy.

Capping off the Demons’ induction week (which is a competition-wide period at the start of pre-season), players travelled to Craigieburn to take part in a little bit of team bonding.

“We got in at 8.30, got briefed on what [Fire Rescue Victoria] do and the areas of Victoria they cover, which was really interesting. They kitted us up in the full get-ups, which was quite hot even though it’s quite cold outside. Then we were put to work,” winger Eliza McNamara said.

“Our first task was working the hose up to level four of a building, getting it through some doorways then hitting a target out a window. It was probably the most challenging off the bat. Then after that, we had to find some heat patches using their devices, working with your partner, some communication.

“Tahlia (Gillard) and I went together on that, she was great on direction and also really receptive to my direction, which was good.

“Then we rescued some ‘bodies’ as a group, we pulled 10 out of a building, which was interesting. It’s probably one of the more confronting sides of the job, which you don’t expect, but they’re usually first to the site, so a lot more respect for what they do after today.

“It’s a lot of physical work, but also really mentally taxing. They support each other a lot, which is what we have to do during the season. It’s tied in quite well, to cap off the end of induction week, but also what’s to come for pre-season.”

“It went really smoothly this year. We touched on all the admin side of things we need to know as players, like the illicit drugs policy,” McNamara said.

“The umpires might come in and run us through what they see on game day, any rule changes or just explaining calls, so we understand as players what to do while tackling to make it safe.

“We’ll go through the social media policy – how to be an all-round good athlete beyond just the physical side. There’s a lot more attributes to it, and we are in the public, so making sure we’re putting our best foot forward.”

“It’s probably always your goal, to make the Grand Final, but we fell short last year. It was hard, because we hit our stride at the back end of the season – it does give a bit of confidence that we were on the right track.

“Probably now we recognise where we needed to be for most of the season, and we weren’t there till the end of the season, which put a full stop on it early.

“If we can just hit round one at full speed, everyone on the same page and receptive to the coaches and putting in place their game style, but also playing with a bit of freedom and adjusting to whatever the opposition does, it should be a much better season this year.”

Despite her team’s woes, McNamara had a career-best season, averaging 22.2 disposals and 3.6 marks on the wing, up from 15.3 and 2.6 the year prior.

“You’re playing and hoping for the best outcome as a team, but it just goes to show, working with the coaches – if you tick off what they need from you, then a lot of the time you walk away okay with how you’ve played,” she said.

“To be able to do that last season was good, then I can bring that into this season and put in the extra time for the areas where they see I need – which a lot of time is kicking and working myself out of tight areas when I’m pigeoned (in) on the wing.

“Just being really specific with what my goals are, but also bringing the rest of the team together. It’s great training with Kate (Hore), ‘Hanksy’ (Tyla Hanks), Maeve (Chaplin), ‘Tahls’ (Gillard), they’re such dominant presence on the field, so you’re always going to get better when you’re training with them.”